I enjoyed this logo development project for the newly formed Sound Mind Studios in Charleston, West Virginia! Owner Daniel Cioffi’s love for recording & recording equipment combined with subtle references to the Beach Boys culminated in a retro-spectacular take on being of “sound mind.”
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Inspired by the music, again, I couldn’t resist subtle rebellion of these #shoegaze wonders from Baltimore, Wildhoney, hence the hornet, not #honeybee. (continues below)
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Musical inspiration for my illustration work continues with this poster for Motel Radio playing at the Savannah Stopover Music Festival. Take a look.
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I am flattered to have been commissioned by Sheldon Vance, an Appalachian Punk musician from Charleston, WV to build a fitting image for his upcoming mini-tour. It is built upon a stylized Converse® illustration that I haven’t technically finished. Take a look. (continues below)
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All discovery of any sort requires a first step. Those first steps are rarely technological. Often, they are instead, steps of want and will and determination.
The average inhabitant of this planet is fascinated by space discovery and lunar exploration but feels ill-equipped to contribute. That disconnect can be remedied by the reminder that discovery and exploration begin with curiosity… the same curiosity a child might have in whether or not one can touch the moon. “Discovery” combines digital illustration with hand-drawn patterns–a blending of the technical with the rudimentary.
Progress continues…
Thanks to Zumiez (Sevierville) & Headquarters Skateshop (Knoxville), I have decks for The Dark Slide project sponsored by the Dubuque Area Arts Collective. They are in the midst of being sanded, primed & gesso’d. But, in the meantime, I finished the initial designs, left to right — London Calling, México Floración & Miami Reclining. (continues below)
These designs are meant to be a study in iconography and how it connects us to times & places entirely personal. The London Eye, an umbrella and bowler hat, sugar skulls, flowers & mattress ticking, Deco-era waves, a bikini & seaweed.
BACKAs I prepare for my upcoming journey of adding color to my work–possibly on a semi-permanent basis, I have become excited by delving into color theory once again. My eyes know the theory, but my brain has taken all for granted. So, I am allowing myself the ultimate indulgence of someone living a purposefully pared-down existence…art books–yum!
Deciding what NOT to purchase and/or borrow has been the hardest part. I’ll keep you updated on the books I love! Today’s choice Confident Color: An Artist’s Guide To Harmony, Contrast And Unity-i-fact from Confident Color: “Once in a while, you may want to go a little darker in value without overpowering that light feeling. [sic] Burnt Sienna turns any saturated paint color into an earth hue.” Thanks, Nita! Burnt Sienna–today’s happy place.
Be sure to Follow Artist R.L. Gibson on Facebook!
LUKE
So, I have a 12 year old that loves Star Wars. Not shocking, eh? A lot of 12 year olds love Star Wars. Recently my son has started hiding his love for the franchise because it has apparently become less cool at school to admit it. Nonetheless, when I tripped across the Darth Vader Helmet Art Contest, I thought, “Hmm, I’ll post it on ArtAndArtDeadlines.com, and maybe I’ll enter if I get the time.” Famous last words.
I entered and forgot about it. They asked for a link to your portfolio on the entry form, and seeing that my artwork couldn’t be any farther from sci-fi than it is, I just assumed that I made brownie points with my kid for ENTERING…and THAT would be THAT.
Not quite. I found out today that I, R.L. Gibson (the Xerographist), was selected as one of 25 artists to create an original piece of art out of or incorporating the Darth Vader Helmet–an authentic reproduction, mind you. Careful what you wish for folks. It was like a ticker-tape parade when I told my son Oscar, but NOW I have to actually create something that fits both the philosophy and aesthetic of my work with a Star Wars helmet. Methinks it will be a challenge. Being challenged was not really in the game plan, but I’m actually looking forward to it–don’t tell my cool friends, though.
The great news is that all 25 of the helmets will be auctioned of to benefit the Midwest Art Catalyst, a non-profit organization created to support the Mankato area artistic and musical communities, and The Miracle League’s Fallenstein Field, which is the only barrier-free handicapped and wheelchair accessible softball/baseball field in Minnesota built for children and adults with all types of disabilities.
Cool. Did I mention I get a $150 HalloweenCostumes.com gift certificate even if I don’t win? That means 1) My kid gets to brag that his mom is making Star Wars art, 2) My kid gets to try on the helmet when it arrives, and 3) Even if I don’t win, my kid gets a great Halloween costume next year. Very cool.
Stay tuned for pictures of the helmet as it develops!
As many of you know, I am employed as a Social Media Manager (See Online Community Manager at Wikipedia) for Carousel Gardens and do graphic design, web, and logo work in addition. Yesterday I approached an artist’s representative about incorporating a piece of his artwork in a logo that I am currently designing.
He said, “Sure.”
I replied, “Thanks. I will make sure it is small enough that it can’t be reproduced and stolen and…”
He interrupted laughing and said, “Clearly I’m not worried about that, or I would make a better effort to protect the artwork on the website. I figure if someone can figure out how to steal it and make a million bucks, I’ll steal it back and make the second million.”
Folks, to put it in perspective, I am talking about an internationally-known artist whose work on canvas, paper and bronze is very well editioned and supports more than one generation of his family.
So my question is, why are artists so paranoid that we’re watermarking tiny digital images of our work online?
If you’re a stock photographer–I get it. Corporations using your images for logos and not paying–I get it. But otherwise folks, let’s all loosen up. Can’t we all just remember that theft–regardless of how wrong–is still a back-handed compliment?
The ones that really kill me are the images you right-click and they say “This image protected.” Really? I have yet to find an image protected from my PRT SCRN key. Maybe what we should be doing is encouraging people to cut and paste our work so their audience is prompted to say, “Wow! Who did that?”
Optimism, folks…catch the wave.